AP Insight - August 2010

Volume 3, Issue 1

Effective Practices Ensure a Strong Beginning

"Culture eats strategies for breakfast."—Peter Drucker 

School culture is the sum of the attitudes, beliefs, expectations, mindsets, and interactions of staff members each and every day. Even the best research-based practices will be less effective unless the culture of the school supports them. On the other hand, a supportive culture makes our strategies even more effective and helps us accomplish our outcomes. For that reason, we constantly strive to build a culture of success in our schools—one that focuses on the improved performance of each and every student. 

Our school family changes yearly. New students, new teachers, and new staff members are new to our culture. Thus, the beginning of each new school year is the critical time in establishing and re-establishing school culture. The beginning of the school year is the time to consciously build habits and shape expectations. Just as a strong beginning goes a long way to ensuring a good lesson, how we approach the beginning of the school year sets the tone for the months to come. 

The current reality is that we are all being asked to do more with less. That means we must be more productive. We must find those high-leverage points that enable us to accomplish more with the same effort. Because our focus on school culture is aligned with improving student performance, we must center our daily actions on the needs of our students and teachers. 

This month's AP Insight draws from the best of past issues to help ensure a strong beginning to the school year. While the articles address specific strategies such as making data-informed decisions, visiting classrooms, and collaborating with our staff to set expectations, they all share one thing in common: they are all "culture-building" strategies. 

The NASSP Store is offering AP Insight readers a 20% discount on the book, 10 Skills for Successful Leaders. Use promotion code 10SAPI to receive your discount (applies to online orders only). Click here for more information or to purchase the discounted book between now and October 20, 2010. 

As always, I welcome your input and feedback. If you are interested in writing an article or a book review for AP Insight, send me an e-mail.  

Mel Riddile
NASSP Associate Director of High School Services  

From the Principal Difference Blog

By Mel Riddile
The reality is glaringly clear: when teachers are absent, students lose valuable instructional time. Teacher absenteeism and finding substitute teachers are problems faced by every school. In every case, the solution is in the culture—attitudes, beliefs, mindsets, expectations, and relationships—of the entire school. To combat the loss of absence-related learning, a Virginia high school developed a culture of trust among teachers that had astounding results. Teachers gave advance notice if they were going to be out, and they didn't feel guilty for being away. In addition, the school cultivated relationships with substitute teachers who in turn developed a loyalty to the school. (Continue Reading)

From the February 2010 Issue

By Starla Pearson, principal, and Mary Duran, assistant principal, Aurora (CO) Frontier K–8
With the start of the new school year, many assistant principals will be reviewing data and setting goals with teachers. In this article, two principals share their professional journey of how Aurora Frontier K–8 transformed its use of data. They also advise how assistant principals and principals can shift data ownership to teachers. (Continue reading)

From the October 2009 Issue

By Patricia Buschjost, assistant principal, Walt Clark Middle School, Loveland, CO
Assistant Principal Patricia Busch tends to look at things in a positive light—even forest fires. Here's what the experts say about forest fires: "When the forest burns this causes the trees' seed pods to crack open, enabling the new seeds inside the pods to fall to the ground, become nourished, and create new life and forest rebirth." Out with the old and in with the new, Busch compares that experience to being a new administrator in a school. For those taking on a new building this year, she suggests guiding the staff through a special ceremony that's akin, in some ways, to that forest fire. (Continue reading)

School leaders know that there is much to do to prepare for the opening of a new school year. Here are some resources to help assistant principals and principals get organized, stay organized, and ease the transition into the school year. A few of these resources also consider student transition. (Continue reading)